“Created in 2001 by José Miguel Martínez and Pilar de la Vega, VERSO is undoubtedly one of the independent recording industryâ€™s major contributions to this countryâ€™s culture. With a top-flight catalogue of more than a hundred discs already, focused fundamentally on lesser-known Spanish baroque, classical, romantic and post-romantic music, Verso also clearly supports the most avant-garde musical creation of our time. Meticulous and careful edition and the diversity of sources of interpretation, backed by a long list of orchestral ensembles of the very highest level and youthful artists of acknowledged national and international prestige make the young, dynamic Madrid label a Spanish recording classic. …”

"It was as a fairground attraction that gramophones first excited wide-eyed amazement at fairs and sideshows more than a century ago. Raucous slogans proclaimed the virtues of the new recording technology: "Most powerful sound, loudest sound, most natural sound." The new-fangled talking machines, with their primitive cylinders and discs, were initially sold only in toy shops and bicycle shops. The inventor of the gramophone and disc, Emile Berliner, was quick to recognize the potential of "automatic music" and set about using the new technology to bring art and artists directly into the homes of people who other wise had no access to music of this kind, His vision of the gramophone, both as a means of disseminating culture and as a form of entertainment, is uniquely reflected in the more than hundred-year history of Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. ... "

“Without fear of the alleged crisis of the international music industry, the label Alqhai & Alqhai is born as a determined commitment to quality, from the philosophy of taking absolute care of every stage of our CDs production and making. From the very first step —the artistic conception of a program, through its development and rehearsals, sound recording, edition, design, quality standards choice until, finally, public launching, every Alqhai & Alqhai production is treated with the love that only an artist can feel for his own creation. We want to to fulfill a wish: that our public had in his hands and ears a true piece of art, not determined by the market rules”

“Outhere is an independent musical production and publishing company whose discs are published under the catalogues Æon, Alpha, Fuga Libera, Outnote, Ramée, Ricercar and Zig Zag Territoires. Each catalogue has its own well defined identity. Our discs and our digital products cover a repertoire ranging from ancient and classical music to the contemporary, jazz and world music. We work with great artists and established ensembles, but we are also keen to invest in the development of young talent. The group builds on three fundamental principles: relations, quality and efficiency: the personal relation between an artist and his trusted art director, the highest quality in the musical selection and in the editorial work, and efficiency, because wOuthere is an independent musical production and publishing company whose discs are published under the catalogues Æon, Alpha, Fuga Libera, Outnote, Ramée, Ricercar and Zig Zag Territoires. Each catalogue has its own well defined identity. Our discs and our digital products cover a repertoire ranging from ancient and classical music to the contemporary, jazz and world music. We work with great artists and established ensembles, but we are also keen to invest in the development of young talent. The group builds on three fundamental principles: relations, quality and efficiency: the personal relation between an artist and his trusted art director, the highest quality in the musical selection and in the editorial work, and efficiency, because we know that our activities can only thrive with innovative management methods. Outhere produces more than 100 CDs per year and we are distributed in over 40 countries. Outhere’s head office is located in Brussels and we have a subsidiary in Paris. e know that our activities can only thrive with innovative management methods. Outhere produces more than 100 CDs per year and we are distributed in over 40 countries. Outhere’s head office is located in Brussels and we have a subsidiary in Paris.”

“Bruno Procopio founded the Paraty label in 2006, with the support of Intégral Distribution, in order to explore, on period instruments, the rich repertory of baroque and classical music.

The first release for the label is vol. 2 of the Bach Partitas, continuing a project started by Bruno Procopio in 2004. The first volume of the Partitas was very well received by music critics, with five stars from Diapason magazine, and a critic from Fanfare magazine listing it as one of the five best Baroque CDs of the year in USA.”

"Since 1987, Naxos has redefined how classical music is presented and marketed. Innovative strategies of recording exciting new repertoire with exceptional talent have enabled the label to develop one of the largest and fastest growing catalogues of unduplicated repertoire available anywhere--currently over 2500 titles--with state-of-the-art sound and consumer-friendly prices. Naxos is the brainchild of Klaus Heymann, a German-born entrepreneur and music lover based in Hong Kong. To boost the sales for his electronics equipment company, Heymann began organising concerts of classical music in Hong Kong sponsored by Bose and Revox. When visiting artists involved in the concerts discovered that their records could not be found in Hong Kong shops, record distribution became an additional enterprise of Heymann's company. ... "

Free-to-download recordings of lute, vihuela,theorbo and early guitar performed by Rob MacKillop.

“We are entering a new era of the listening experience, one which many record companies are struggling to understand and keep up with. The CD concept of 60 to 70 -minute programmes centered around a single composer or manuscript no longer seems relevant to the new download culture. As a performer I try to look upon the positive aspects of this new relationship between artist and listener. I take my cue from old lute and guitar manuscripts which often contain music from various sources and for a variety of instruments. I can even upload various versions of the same piece (see, for instance, three versions of Mille Regretz on the vihuela page).

As a listener I was often frustrated over the difficulty of finding and ordering non-mainstream recordings of lutes, vihuelas, etc, and once located, having to pay shipping costs, import duty, etc on top. As a performer, I have been frustrated over the inability of the record companies to get the 'product' on the shelves, not just around the world, but even within my own city.

I have decided to make any future recordings at home, with immediate upload to this website. I can record whatever I want, whenever I feel moved to, and have it online within minutes. I hope the listener will appreciate the immediacy of the performances as much as their easy access online.

I have also decided to use the absolute minimum of editing. Few listeners are aware that many lute CDs contain over 100 edits, sometimes many hundreds. The technology in advanced studios - and increasingly so in the home studio - allows for the most microscopic changes to notes, finger noise, tuning, etc, etc. It is the view of many that this is leading to a false image of the performer as being technically perfect, and ultimately the recording lacks the immediacy of a genuine performance. All the recordings on this site are single takes. If I do make a very noticeable mistake, for example in a piece with an A and a B section, I will, without stopping, repeat the entire section. I then extract the whole section with the offending note. By this method, the listener hears the same performance, same tuning and tempo. Small errors are not subject to any editing. It is my hope that the listener will appreciate this method. Comments welcome.

Many thought you had to be a little naïve to launch a record label just when digital music and hi-tech began their ascent.

Could there be a life beyond wi-fi, the web and MP3s?

As you can see, a few diehard music lovers still believe in beautiful packages, the smell of freshly-printed paper, booklets you spend hours admiring, the beauty a human voice and a few strums on a guitar.

In short, there are still traditional craftsmen, who take their time and let talent grow on its own terms. Between classical music, pop, world, jazz, children’s music, books or DVDs… nothing scares us…“

“Channel Classics Records is a quality record label based in Holland. Director, producer and recording engineer is C. Jared Sacks. Having grown up in Boston Massachusetts, schooled at Oberlin Conservatory and the Amsterdam Conservatory of music with 15 years experience playing French Horn, Jared decided to make his hobby of recording a profession in 1987. The label started in 1990 with the name Channel Classics coming from the street he lived on in Amsterdam. (Kanaalstraat).

Jared and his Dutch wife Lydi Groenewegen together with a group of assistants work closely with distributors in 38 countries to promote the artists through the CD’s.

“Carpe Diem Records is a creative German record label specialized in Early Music. On this website you can find music samples, pictures and other interesting information about our CD releases. All CDs can be ordered fast and easily in our online shop.”

“Satirino was created in 1997 by Ian Malkin and Christine Menguy and specialises in both French and international representation for Classical music artists, ensembles and orchestras. In 2001 the company created the Satirino Records label to record some of the agency's artists.”

“Welcome to the Flowinglass Music website! Oakland-based independent record label, music production company, and recording studio Flowinglass Music was founded in 1993 by husband and wife musical team Margaret Davis and Kristoph Klover. Flowinglass Music publishes the works of Celtic rock band Avalon Rising, Celtic/Early Music group Broceliande, Celtic duo Margaret & Kristoph, and singer/harper Margaret Davis.

Recordings on the Flowinglass Music label are widely available through such outlets as iTunes, CDBaby, and Amazon, and our catalog was recently picked up for distribution by Sugo Music. Our music has been widely featured on Internet and traditional radio stations, newspapers, and magazines.

One of our best-selling titles, The Starlit Jewel, features songs from the writings of Tolkien, and is one of the very few recorded settings of Tolkien's poems to be officially authorized by the Estate and publisher of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Music by our Celtic rock band Avalon Rising has been featured in movies and television, including the movie Cost of a Soul, and commercials for the Boston Globe, and was included in The Secret World of Celtic Rock (Celtic MP3s Music Magazine) and The Best of Pagan Song (Serpentine Music).

The recordings by Celtic/Early Music group Broceliande have received wide international acclaim and have been featured in the movie To The Sea. Members of Broceliande were featured in the Disney movie Bedtime Stories starring Adam Sandler. …”

"Brilliant Classics is now available worldwide in over 40 countries. In its 10 years’ existence it has become one of the leading classical labels. Both audiences and critics have come to recognise and appreciate the quality and diversity of the label. With high ratings, classical awards, distinctions ánd record-breaking sales as resounding results. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

" I thought: why not make a record label that has a clue? That helps artists get exposure, make at least as much money they would make with traditional labels, and help them get fans and concerts. Magnatune is my project. The goal is to find a way to run a record label in the Internet Reality: file trading, Internet Radio, musicians' rights, the whole nine-yards. If you think Magnatune is a worthy goal, please support it. There are powerful forces who want it to fail, so I need your help if this is going to work. (Buckman, Magnatune founder/owner) " ...

Since its beginnings it has pursued an audacious, original and very specific line of style and design philosophy.

The promotion of young performers, both national and international, coupled with the participation of already known ones, has succeeded in placing Arsis at the forefront, gaining the acclaim and positive feedback of critics, performers and music lovers alike.

Since November 2006 it publishes all its works in GPACK, an exclusive format made out of a foldable cupboard, which invokes warmness and is silky smooth to the touch; a tactile and thought provoking sensation.

This is Arsis. When the attention to detail and the desire for a job well done are the driving forces in developing new areas of advancement in musical editing.”

“Heartistry Music began as one struggling musicial artist trying to help other struggling artist friends. I had just finished a new CD and, when the web was still quite new, decided to offer it to the public via the world wide web. Thinking that one little CD looked pretty puny all by itself I decided to invite all of my musician friends in the area to post their products as well. They gladly accepted, and Heartistry Music was born.

After numerous inquiries I saw the need for a formal music label. So, now, Heartistry Music is a music distribution and publishing company and record label dedicated to marketing quality recordings by independent artists. We are currently focusing on artists who reside in the north Midwest area encompassing the south shore of Lake Superior and beyond. All products listed here are of the highest quality, great listening, and they are guaranteed.

When you purchase products from Heartistry Music the proceeds will go directly to that artist. For ordering information, and to view our return policy, please see our Contact page. In addition to CD sales, concert booking for all artists listed on this site can be done through Heartistry Music. We also offers music typesetting and CD duplication services For comments or suggestions on our site please Contact us.

“harmonia mundi is an independent music record label founded in 1958 by Bernard Coutaz in Arles.
Its catalogue is essentially devoted to classical music but, through World Village, and new sibling Jazz Village, also to jazz & world musics.
The various offices around the world, or *filliales*, also offer distribution to a huge diversity of labels & genres, not necessarily the same for each territory.

“Avie Records operates a unique business model based on artist ownership. This model is as robust today as when the label launched in 2002, and allows artists a creative freedom not found at any other label. Run by well-known and respected executives with offices in the UK and the US, Avie combines the flexibility of an independent with the prowess of a major.

Avie was instantly recognised as a trail-blazer by international media and consumers alike. The label has been hailed as “adventurous” (New York Times), “enterprising (Gramophone),” and “admirable” (The Sunday Times – London).

Avie is noted for the strength and creativity of its marketing and promotion strategies, resulting in notable sales successes, including several international chart-topping releases. For our artists we have gained international visibility in the media and the market place, with a worldwide distribution network that extends to over 30 countries. The label was an early convert to the download arena and is universally available at digital download destinations from iTunes to emusic to Classical Archives. …”

" ... Early Music Foundation consists of a primary performing enterprise, EARLY MUSIC NEW YORK - FREDERICK RENZ, DIRECTOR, and a recording label, Ex cathedra Records. The EMF also serves as a not-for-profit umbrella for its associate projects: New York Early Music Celebration, Parthenia- A Consort of Viols, and an online early music events calendar, Polyphony.com. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"Lyrichord Discs is the premier independent label featuring the finest Traditional World Music Recordings, Early Music, World Music and Dance DVDs, and classical music recordings since 1950. Music Recordings Worldwide and throughout history on
compact disc and dvd. " ...

“BIS Records was founded in 1973 by Robert von Bahr, with the aim of helping world-class Swedish musicians to reach international audiences. Starting out with a Revox tape-recorder, two state-of-the-art microphones and a pair of non-magnetic scissors he immediately impressed connoisseurs by the natural sound of his recordings, and single-handedly built up a catalogue that could be exported all over the world.

Now in its 35th year, BIS is a flourishing and much respected label with more than 1.400 titles in stock – the only large record label to keep all its recordings constantly available. Going against the trend of the classical music business, BIS is expanding in various ways. With its present staff of 14 – including no less than six recording producers – BIS has become a leading player, yearly undertaking some 60 productions recorded all over the world: from Brazil to Japan, from Iceland to Australia. …”

This web page intends to make recordings of the traditional French music of central France available to people in North America. It is a shame that some of the best acoustic music in the world, that of central France, is unknown and unavailable here in the US and Canada. I would like you to discover this music and come to love it.

Some of the recordings listed here are for sale by me (Mitch), others are sold by other individuals or (in one case) an organization. Ordering instructions and an order form are provided for the recordings from each source. Specifically, the recordings are purchased from four sources (one in France, three in California), each with its own order form.”

“From our humble beginnings more than a decade ago as a small, one-man operation in a garage, to our current standing as the world’s largest online distributor of indie music, CD Baby has always been a company run BY musicians FOR musicians. Inside the fortified walls of our warehouse (a virtual Wonka-world of music) in rainy Portland, Oregon, we listen to every single album we carry before it is posted for sale so that we can help you find other new artists you’ll love, too. No distributors. No major labels. We only sell music that musicians send us directly. We ship CDs from our warehouse. We sell downloads from our site. And we also deliver our artists’ music to other download retailers, as well (iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, and many more.) We sell you the music and then we pay the artist right away. Cool thing: in a regular record deal or distribution deal, musicians only make $1-$2 per album, if they’re ever lucky enough to get paid by their label at all. When selling through CD Baby, musicians make $6-$12 per album and get paid weekly. ..“